Our Stick Of The Week! is Jennifer Young. Jennifer is in the NOW as owner of The Idea Box Kids, bringing fun, play-based, child-led activities into your home & home-learning environment. The Idea Box Kids emphasizes on creating developmentally appropriate products that will encourage your child to lead themselves wherever they need to go...while making it easy for you! Not only does The Idea Box Kids company want to encourage learning through play; they hope that their Idea Boxes help play a part in making long-lasting, feel-good memories for you and your children. Of course, they cannot say enough about the "secretly" educational benefits of their Idea Boxes, but that is for the grown-ups to worry about. The only thing your child needs to worry about is doing what they do best...playing!

Jennifer Young

Jennifer Young is a Mom of three boys and an avid reader. She lives in a small town about 20 miles south of Portland, Oregon with her family.

Tell us about your NOW (Noodle On the Wall).An Idea Box is a little box filled with wood coins that hold activities, ideas, chores, story starters and more...depending on the theme of your Idea Box. I like to say that each Idea Box is "secretly" educational. The emphasis is on being as child-led as possible, which in turn helps builds self-esteem, grows decision making skills, and more. Activities and ideas are simple, require little to no prep-work, and use items that you have around the house. If an activity is too hard, you can easily adapt it to fit your child. It's all very easy...choose a coin from the box and play! Most Idea Boxes are for ages 3-10'ish, with the exception of the Toddler Box for ages 12 mos. to 2 years, and one of the Teacher Boxes for ages up to the 8th grade. There are currently 22 themes with several more planned for release this year. It's a lot of fun!

Is your NOW simmering, al dente or fully cooked and why?

I think I would have to say simmering. I think of simmering as something that is in constant motion, rapidly growing, full of potential. That's a very exciting place to be as a small business owner. Working towards my next goal, mixed with a little bit of the unknown & unplanned...it's never boring and keeps me moving forward.

What recipes can you give other Creative Moms Taking On The Creative?Running a business requires a good mixture of perseverance, a genuine interest in your product and the end user, and a lot of hard work. Of course, you can't forget the number one, must-have ingredient: a marketable or needed product or service. That's the barest-bones recipe I can come up with. Of course, there are many other ingredients that work in conjunction with those things. Some days you need just a pinch of something, and other days you are pouring it in by the bucket-full. And, yes, some days you are staring at the pot wondering what you need to do differently.

What motivated you to throw your noodle?The timing was right. The online bookstore that I started in 2005 had been experiencing decreasing sales for a couple of years due to ebooks. I wasn't ready to close the bookstore, but I needed something to take its place when it did close. This was the perfect opportunity for me to dig out the Idea Box I made in 2000 for my own kids and see what I could do with it.

What inspires you as a Mom and as a creative person?For my business, my inspiration comes in the form of one thing: the child that will be choosing the coins from their Idea Box. There's not a lot that matters beyond that point. That child is so very important. That's inspiring to me, keeps me focused and keeps me creating. What inspires me as a Mom? My family and all of the little things that matter only to us.

How do you juggle Mamahood and your NOW?I plan my days pretty well, and handle the "extras" as they come. I try to keep in mind that I cannot possibly do and be everything. That's a tough one....I give it a good try, though!

What is your ultimate pasta dish?

There are two different sizes of Idea Boxes: Regular & Mini. The most popular Regular size Idea Box would be the first Idea Box I made: The Ideas & Activities Box. That Idea Box has a good mixture of crafts, games, and activities and is great for both boys and girls. For the Mini size, the Science Box does really well. The mini's are fun for party favors or classroom gifts. I personally love the Wiggle Box. Even though my kids are older, we had a blast testing that box out. We were laughing and having a great time.

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Elena Melener

Welcome to the Noodles On The Wall Blog, a place where I share the trials and tribulations of a creative noodle maker. (That's me!) My life is full of noodles and I've learned it takes a dash of inspiration and a pinch of creativity to throw them up on the wall to see if they stick. Hope you stick around!